Not Her Type
by harinezumiko
Summary: Manjoume visits Asuka while she's studying at West Academy. It's snowing in the street, but Asuka's heart might be thawing...


For notmuchelse as part of the YGO Shipfest Secret Valentine Event. You finally got me writing valentineshipping, hehe! I hope you like it 3

* * *

The revolving glass door spun, bringing with it another small flurry of snow from the street, and another person who wasn't Manjoume. Asuka sighed and checked her phone gain. The app said baggage had been offloaded hours ago. Her text remained unanswered. She'd tried ringing, but got no response.

She should have just arranged to meet him at the airport, but Manjoume had insisted she not go out of her way. So there she was, stamping her feet against the cold in the college's foyer and worrying, when she could have been doing something productive with her time. And after all her brother's assurances about what a responsible, reliable man Manjoume had become.

Asuka waited ten minutes, then five minutes more, and decided to go and get her books. She'd head to the library, do some lesson plans, maybe research a bit for her thesis, and if she didn't hear anything by dinner time she'd head home.

She set her phone face down on the study desk in an act of petty revenge. She'd waited for so long, Manjoume could wait for her now. Still, she found herself too distracted to study. Asuka scrolled listlessly through social media, watching her phone out of the corner of her eye. When it finally started vibrating across the desk she swept it up in a hurry and dashed out of the library to take the call.

"Manjoume-kun? You're so late! Where are you?" Asuka's tone was admonishing, but she breathed a sigh of relief at hearing his voice.

"Tenjoin-kun, I'm sorry." Manjoume sounded tired. "They kicked some of us off the connecting flight at Dallas, and the one they put us on just kept getting more delayed because of the weather. You weren't waiting long, were you?"

Asuka opened and closed her mouth, thinking of the special hell that was over 24 hours spent on cramped transport before she replied. "No, it's fine. I got some work done. Where are you now?"

"I'm waiting at baggage reclaim. I'm planning to head to the hotel and freshen up first, but did – uh, did you still want to meet up tonight?"

Asuka leant back against the wall and pressed the phone closer to her ear. "Don't you want to get an early night?"

"I got some sleep on the flight," Manjoume demurred. "I'd rather power on through and try to get used to the time zone. But I can find something to occupy myself if you'd rather –"

"No, let's – I'll meet you downtown. You're staying at the Sherwood, right? I'll meet you in the lobby."

"Okay." Manjoume sounded less excited than Asuka had hoped. Not that she'd wanted him to be excited, in the way he used to be around her, but… "Seven o'clock?"

"See you at seven." Asuka hung up before she could follow that train of thought any further. Just two friends, hanging out. He wasn't into her any more. And anyway, he wasn't her type.

* * *

The city was drawn in grey and white as Asuka walked downtown. The occasional bright flash of a taxi passed her, and she drew instinctively closer to the storefronts to avoid the chill splash of slush. Though the streets weren't narrow, the perspective of the tall buildings and the falling of snow pulled the walls in and the sky seemingly within reach. It was miles away from the balmy openness of Duel Academia central – literally and figuratively. Still, a little piece of that tropical island sang warmly in her heart at the thought of meeting an old school friend.

The Sherwood Hotel was a mid-range choice – clean, hospitable, and with a faded art deco-style charm. Asuka thanked the doorman as she stamped the snow off her boots, took off her hat, and slipped inside. She found Manjoume waiting for her amongst the brass and mahogany, seated on a burgundy lounge chair. He stood at her approach, and smiled.

"Tenjoin-kun! It's been too long."

"Manjoume-kun!" Asuka waved hello, and tucked her hair back behind her ear. Surely Manjoume hadn't grown any more since school, but he seemed taller – something in the way he carried himself maybe, or the shorter, more professional cut of his hair. "You look well. I'm glad you arrived safely."

Manjoume stifled a yawn behind his hand. "Next time, I'm flying direct."

"A private plane, maybe," Asuka joked. Manjoume's sharp eyes flicked over, but he left the bait untouched. "So, what would you like to do? We could get some local food?"

"I'm not really hungry," said Manjoume. "They fed us a lot on the plane. I think I'd like to just walk around, get my bearings, if you don't mind."

Asuka frowned. "I hope your boots are waterproof. The snow's getting deeper."

"They should be okay," Manjoume said. A trace of the old flush graced his cheeks. "And I can carry you over any big puddles."

Asuka gave him a friendly bump on the arm. "You've been hanging around my brother too long." Still, it was oddly pleasant to know that she still brought out that reaction in him.

The snow on the sidewalk had not yet been turned to slush, and it crunched satisfyingly underfoot. Asuka picked a meandering route that would take them past several landmarks in the nicer part of town. Manjoume kept his gloved hands in the pockets of his long grey coat, occasionally peeling them off to take a photo, then having to wipe the phone screen dry afterwards. For the most part, he was quiet. He let Asuka take the tour guide role, asking a few questions occasionally. Asuka felt a bit awkward to start with, but after her training lessons it felt good to have someone actually listening to her and not acting up, not to mention speaking her first language.

"Are you getting too cold?" Manjoume asked, about three-quarters of the way through Asuka's planned route. He stopped outside a café, the rich smell of fresh coffee wafting out from the cosy-looking interior. "We could stop here for a bit?"

Asuka's feet were definitely feeling the weather, but besides that, as soon as she took Manjoume back to the hotel the evening would be over. She wanted to spend as much time with her friend as possible while he was visiting. "Sure, if you'd like."

The café served a bewildering array of doughnuts alongside hot drinks. Manjoume looked doubtfully at the colourfully iced treats. "I suppose I should try one?"

"We could share one," suggested Asuka, fixing her eyes on her damp gloves as she took them off. "If you're still not hungry."

"That sounds good." Manjoume pointed to one of the least weird-looking creations. "Do you still like chocolate?"

Asuka smiled. "I love it."

There was a small duel over who would pay, both insisting that the other was their guest and should be treated, but in the end Manjoume picked up the tab by claiming he needed change from the notes he'd obtained at the foreign exchange. The café was quiet, and they managed to get a table right next to a heater. Asuka held her hands over it and sighed in bliss.

"You must have been really cold," said Manjoume, accusingly.

"It is snowing outside, in case you hadn't noticed." Asuka cupped her hands around her latte.

Manjoume took a knife and cut the doughnut into two, offering half to Asuka. The cream filling oozed enticingly from the centre. "You shouldn't have tramped all the way over the city with me."

"I wanted to," said Asuka. Her frown was that of a cat ready to strike if bothered for one instant more. "And you don't get to tell me what I should or shouldn't do."

Manjoume bowed his head in supplication. "I meant you didn't need to, that's all. I'd have been happy with a walk round the block."

"I know." At school, he'd been the same around her – happy for the smallest word or look Asuka might throw in his direction. It was such a contrast with his over-the-top public persona that she'd dismissed it as fake, even two-faced. Now, though, learning to cultivate a professional demeanour to display to her students, she felt more sympathetic. "I really appreciate you coming all this way to see me, Manjoume-kun. Other than my brother, I've not seen anyone since school."

Manjoume hummed in agreement as he sipped his hot coffee. "I'm happy to see you, too, Tenjoin-kun. Social media's useful, but it's nothing like meeting up in person. Not when you're used to living alongside the same people."

"Studying with them. Eating with them. Sharing a dorm –" Asuka broke off as she remembered Manjoume giving up his newly remodelled room for her without hesitation. There hadn't even been anything weird in there, for saying a boy lived in it.

"And being transported to alternate dimensions." Manjoume laughed. "All that world-saving helped to create bonds, I'm sure."

Asuka took a bite of her doughnut half, careful not to splurt out the filling, and chewed thoughtfully. It was delicious. "Have you heard from Judai?"

"Not in a while, no." Manjoume looked across at her, his eyes suddenly shadowed. "I guess some bonds were weaker than others."

"I'm sure once he comes back, it'll be like he never left."

"Maybe so." Manjoume's sweet treat was so far untouched. "Is that what you'd want?"

"What do you mean?" Asuka stirred her latte, staring into the milky swirls. "I'd like to kick him for disappearing like that. I still don't know if he's ok. I just have to believe it."

Manjoume sighed. "I'll kick him too. There'll probably be a queue."

"Anyway, we just have to get on with our lives, right? It's not like we can't do anything without him."

"That's right." Manjoume's smile was back, and he tucked enthusiastically into his doughnut. "Wow! This is good!"

* * *

Asuka's schedule for the next day was packed with lessons. It had been impossible to fix a time for the visit where both of them would be free for more than a few hours at a time, so they'd agreed to make the best of what they could. Manjoume spent the day in and out of museums. Asuka spent her breaks looking at the pictures he was uploading of the snowbound city. Occasionally he'd post a selfie, and then the comment threads went wild with fans complimenting him. She was used to his charisma on the duel field, but he seemed to have grown into a full-fledged celebrity. Some of the comments were a little on the risqué side. Asuka flipped the cover on her phone shut at that.

She had tickets to the ballet in the evening. She'd hesitated about booking it given Manjoume's visit, but he'd said he'd be happy to accompany her. He'd joked that he'd had a few lessons as a kid and was keen on seeing how his alternative career option would have worked out. It was hard to believe of a boy that had been all awkward angles in school.

Still, seeing him waiting for her at the foot of the Academy steps, there was an unpolished sort of grace to his stiff-backed posture and the low, almost feminine set of his shoulders.

"Tenjoin-kun! Are you ready to go?" He bobbed a greeting, and held out a hand to help Asuka down the slippery steps.

Asuka took it, but let go as soon as she reached the bottom. The wind was chill and, she hoped, went some way towards explaining the redness in her cheeks. "I wouldn't mind if you just called me Asuka. We've been friends for so long."

"Asuka," repeated Manjoume, smiling widely. "Then, call me Jun, please."

"Jun." Despite it being at her insistence, the name felt foreign on her lips. Manjoume was… She knew who Manjoume was. Manjoume was the overbearing kid from school, the hopeless romantic, the outstanding duelist who always did his best in a sticky situation. Jun was an unknown, but he seemed confident, kind, magnetic. Was it really just time and distance that had mellowed her opinion of him so?

It was a short ride on the subway to the concert hall. Asuka let Manjoume – Jun – help her out of her coat. He'd dressed up for the occasion, she noticed. A long loose grey blazer-type cardigan with black lapels, sleeves ruched up to the elbow, over black slacks and shoes. A small silver lightning bolt adorned one buttonhole. She looked away before he caught her approving.

"I didn't have time to change," she said, not sure why she was apologising.

"You look great in that suit, though," said Jun with conviction. Asuka couldn't help but smile.

Their seats were in the upper circle. Almost as cheap as they came, which was to say not very, but with a decent view of most of the stage. The seats were small, and as they sat down, Asuka's shoulder pressed against Jun's. She apologised and shifted away, but then she found herself bumping into a stranger on the other side.

"It is a bit tight, isn't it?" Jun bit his lip. "You don't need to worry, I won't try anything."

"I'm not worried," said Asuka. Then, feeling like she should clarify, "I trust you."

"That's good." Jun flicked briefly through the programme he'd bought, then passed it to Asuka. "I read up on this before we came. Apparently they got into some copyright trouble with Industrial Illusions?"

"That's right," Asuka said. "The story was reportedly inspired by the Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl cards. But-"

The sound of the orchestra warming up hushed into silence at the appearance of the conductor. Asuka leaned forward in anticipation.

* * *

"Mazaki was great, wasn't she?" Jun took a sip of his wine, and nodded, approving of the taste.

"She really was!" Asuka was still glowing with excitement. "It's her first role as lead, and she definitely made it her own."

"Yeah, it seemed she was really connected to the part."

A waiter arrived with their pizza. He moved the candle in the centre of the table aside to set it down. Asuka thanked him.

"This smells great!" Jun lifted a slice and set it onto Asuka's plate. "Buon appetito!"

"Buon appetito." Asuka clinked her glass against Jun's. "Thanks for coming. I don't have many friends here who are interested in ballet, so it was great to go with someone for a change."

"I enjoyed it," said Jun. "I haven't been to a live performance, well, other than one I'm in, for years."

Asuka sighed. "I miss being on stage sometimes. I love supporting the kids, of course, but the rush from being the one out there…"

"There's nothing like it." Jun bit his lip, sucking on it slowly. "To me, though…"

Asuka looked up from her pizza, finishing a mouthful before she spoke. "To you?"

"You're always centre stage." The words were rushed.

"Jun, I…" Asuka felt a stirring of butterflies in her core.

"Forget I said anything." Jun started hurriedly cutting into his pizza.

"No, I… That's sweet." Asuka rested a hand briefly atop Jun's. "Thank you."

* * *

Jun had asked Asuka to meet him in the park the next afternoon. Frost hung sparkling from the bare black trees, and her breath fogged white on white against the snow. She was early, but the fresh air would help her think better than the stuffy library. Not that she knew how to think her way through this one. Matters of the heart couldn't be logiced into submission like a duel mechanic.

She looked up at the sky. It was still impenetrably pale, but the snowfall had let up for the moment. The air was still, the hiss of the traffic reduced by the trees around the perimeter of the park. If she closed her eyes she could hear the soft crunch of footsteps-

"Asuka, hello."

"Jun!" Asuka's eyes snapped open and she stood up straight to face the other. She tried to smooth her hair down with a hand, but the static from her woollen gloves made the attempt futile. "Here we are… Why did you want to meet here?"

Jun linked his hands behind his back. "One of the things the guidebook recommended to do in winter was ice skating in the park. I thought it would be fun to do today, if you'd like?"

"You can skate?" Asuka said, surprised.

"Well, I haven't tried in a few years," Jun admitted with a nervous grin, "but I'm hoping it's like riding a bike."

Asuka hummed uncertainly. "I might be a bit out of practice myself."

"That's where the fun part must be, right? Otherwise you're just going round in circles."

"I suppose so," Asuka laughed. "Ok, then. It's this way."

They each swapped their shoes for a pair of heavy white bladed boots. The rink wasn't empty, but being a weekday, it was far from full. Asuka watched as she laced up her boots, trying to recall how to distribute her weight. She'd been quite good before, certainly capable of more than just 'going round in circles', and she was slightly apprehensive about stepping onto the ice to find she'd forgotten more than she remembered.

Jun pushed himself up off the bench, wobbling, He held out his gloved hand and Asuka took it, more for his stability than her own. They hobbled to the edge of the rink and stepped carefully out onto the ice. Asuka felt her feet about to slip. She twisted her toes further together and leant forward, regaining her balance. Next to her Jun was still holding the handrail.

"Do you think you can let go?" Asuka asked.

"Oh, sorry." Jun flushed apologetically and let go of her hand.

"I meant the handrail," said Asuka, smiling. She held out both her hands for Jun to take. He did so, one at a time, his butt jutting out behind him as if still glued to the rail. "No no, straighten your body, and bend at the knee. That's it."

"You wound up teaching on your afternoon off, too," said Jun. He tried to walk forward. The music playing from the speakers provided a tinny pop beat, almost lost in the crispness of the weather.

"It makes a difference that you're actually listening to me," laughed Asuka. She pushed herself slowly backwards, matching Jun's pace.

"I thought your students would be keen, duelling being such a specialist subject?" Jun was gaining in confidence, what he was doing almost being able to be described as skating.

Asuka kept hold of his hands and checked behind herself for obstructions. "They're keen, but often they think they know it all already, or they can't learn anything from someone who's not qualified yet. Or my teachers will send me into a class of troublemakers to see how I deal with it."

"How do you deal with it?" Jun looked up at Asuka, and she realised how close their faces were. She let go of one hand, moving to skate at his side.

"I remember all of us in school," said Asuka with a laugh.

Jun had picked up some speed now, able to skate alongside Asuka and the rest of the flow around the edge of the rink. He smiled proudly. "See? Just like riding a bike."

"You're doing well," Asuka agreed. She looked longingly towards the centre where the more advanced skaters were practising.

"I'm sure you remember more than you think," said Jun. "Why don't you go and try it out?"

Asuka looked at him uncertainly, suddenly not willing to let go. "Will you be ok on your own?"

"Of course," said Jun. "I'll be cheering you on. I'd love to see what you can do."

"Well… I'll give it a go. For a few minutes."

Asuka skated off into the centre, and Jun perched on the barrier to watch. She could feel his eyes upon her but there was an incongruous warmth in the cool grey. She skated the feeling out, picking up some speed and trying a simple spin.

"Woo! Go Asuka!" Jun applauded from the side. She shot him a look, embarrassed at first, but as she settled into her routine it felt good to have the support. She remembered the signs he'd sported back at Central during her matches. She'd hated it at the time, and she certainly hoped he hadn't brought any today, but there was a certain fondness in the memory. No-one else had been quite that visibly her supporter.

She finished as much as she dared, and skated back out to the side. Jun skated out to meet her and caught her, unnecessarily, in his arms. She didn't push him away immediately.

"That was amazing," he said. "You were the best out there."

"I'm still out of practice," Asuka demurred. "But I'm glad you thought so."

Jun's head tilted back, his nose in the air. "I know so."

* * *

They swapped their skates for winter boots, sacrificing another hour of skating in favour of going somewhere warm.

"My hands are freezing." Jun blew warm air on his gloves and rubbed them together.

"Mine too," said Asuka. "It seems colder out here than it did on the ice."

Jun stuffed his hands into his coat pockets, and then brought something out. Two small packages, brightly coloured. One was labelled "Tenjoin-kun" in neat handwriting, the other "Asuka" in fancier letters, emblazoned with curlicues and… hearts.

Asuka looked at him with a frown. She seemed calm on the outside, but her heart and mind were engaged in a frantic race.

"Happy valentine's day," said Jun with a nervous smile. "There's no White Day here, right? So I thought I should give you chocolate now."

"I'm sorry, Jun," said Asuka. She looked around. It seemed as though the park was suddenly filled with couples that hadn't been there a few moments ago. "I completely forgot. I didn't get you anything." She wondered whether she might have felt compelled to hand-make something this year.

"That doesn't matter," said Jun. He was still holding out the two gifts. "Pick one. Whichever you feel like. I can eat the other."

Asuka looked from Jun to the chocolate, then back to Jun. She wasn't at all sure she was ready for this utterly inconsequential, absolutely momentous decision. She reached out, wavered, and plumped for the obligatory chocolate.

Jun sighed, crestfallen, but plastered a smile on his face soon after. He was about to pocket the other when Asuka laid a hand over his.

"Don't eat it yet," Asuka said. "There might still be time."

Jun looked up at her, lips partly open in soft surprise. He smiled, and again Asuka was caught by his intense gaze. "We've got all day, after all."

Asuka smiled back. "Let's make the most of it." She tentatively took hold of Jun's hand as they stood.

"Warmer already," she heard him whisper next to her.

* * *

As this is a giftfic, criticism is not sought at this time.


End file.
